I have two Bohemian photograph weights where the photo has been set on some kind of white plate. Here is a picture of the oldest one which I believe could have been made around 1900.When we visited the Lubndberg studios we saw a nice photo weight the workers there had made to commemorate James Lundberg so you could always try asking them how it was madeDave

Dear daveweight,Thanks for letting me see that. It is quite interesting. I will follow-up on the Lundberg weights. There is a modern process, widely available, of the laser jet printing of photographs with ceramic colors. These images are produced as a decal which can then be applied to a sheet of glass and embedded in a paperweight. I use this process in my artwork. The older weights must have used a different process.If I find anything interesting I will post it.

I have two Bohemian photograph weights where the photo has been set on some kind of white plate. Here is a picture of the oldest one which I believe could have been made around 1900.When we visited the Lubndberg studios we saw a nice photo weight the workers there had made to commemorate James Lundberg so you could always try asking them how it was madeDave

Yes that is fine to use this picture in your facebook site. As I said, I believe this weight was made around 1890 - 1910 but here is another picture showing tg the identical method of creating these weights but from the young girls appearance I would suggest this is around 1930 - 1950.Contact me direct if you need higher res imagesDave

Thanks daveweight and marco for your pictures. I find them very interesting. They look like something the workers made themselves perhaps as gifts, rather than a product.

Marco may I post your weight as well? Do you have a higher res or just bigger pic. Its hard to see the little girl in the center. Are the colors correct? It looks like the picture is tinted pink in places.

Not seen this thread before. These are almost certainly produced by normal transfers, there are various means to get a continuous tone image onto the transfer, but most likely photogravure... it is feasible for these to have been made this way as early as 1880s, although the techniques needed would probably date to 1850s. I think there was a significant development c1890 in Bohemia that would explain that connection.

If you are looking to do this today a (maybe) cheaper option would be to find a printer that uses a waterless process as these can print at around 2,500 dot screen, often used for high quality art postcards. You can do photogravure in the darkroom too, might be some photographers using this process still.

I've had several of these before and sold them. In the US they were used and still exist in a few cemeteries on head stones in the SW Pennsylvanaia area. circa 1900There is a newer process that Wallace Venable former professor at West Virginia Tech has taught and it involves using an older sepia toned printer. He has it posted on the web somewhere but I can find it right now. He taught a class at the Corning Museum School of Glassmaking several years ago on this technique.

Dear Frank, Thanks for the information. My interest is mainly historical, I use modern processes to a similar result in my personal artworks. I am however curious about how it was done back then when they didn't have these processes. I 'd be especially interested if anyone had any documentary evidence such as a patent or contemporaneous descriptions of the process. I 've attached an example of the modern process.